- Windows Soundfont Player Online
- Online Soundfont Player
- Soundfont Player For Mac Catalina
- Soundfont Player For Mac Download
| Software | Description | OS | License | File Date | Comments | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YAMAHA SY1 | Nine nice samples of one of Yamaha's first synthesizers | Windows | Freeware | 2001-07-01 | 2866 | 80db |
| FluidSynth 1.1.6 | A real-time software synthesizer based on the SoundFont 2 specifications | Windows | Free | 2013-03-11 | 3 | 65db |
| SynthFont 2.0.0.13 | MIDI playing/rendering tool that uses SoundFonts. [VST/Standalone] | Windows | Free | 2014-09-05 | 7 | 65db |
| sfz+ | SoundFont Player [VST/iDXi] | Windows | Freeware | 2011-03-10 | 1 | 65db |
| Casio CZ101 Synthesizer | Casio CZ101 Synthesizer soundfont | Windows | Freeware | 1999-09-22 | 17 | 65db |
| Steam Calliope Soundfont | Steam calliope soundfont. | Mac | Shareware | 2006-04-01 | 0 | 65db |
| Megafont | Dynamic SoundFonts caching program for SBLive!/APSLive/APS | Windows | Freeware | 2001-01-17 | 18 | 60db |
| sfArk SoundFont Compression | Lossless compression for SoundFont (sf2) files | Windows | Freeware | 2001-11-21 | 25 | 60db |
| Pedal Steel | Pedal Steel guitar sound font | Windows | Freeware | 2001-07-01 | 14 | 60db |
| Virtual SteamCalliope v1.0 | Virtual steam calliope soundfont. | Windows | Shareware | 2007-01-05 | 0 | 60db |
| Stein.sf2 | A great Steinway WST piano with only ROM samples | Windows | Freeware | 2001-07-01 | 0 | 60db |
| bs-16 v4.0.4 | 16 multitimbral, Soundfont 2 compatible software playback sampler. [VST] | Windows | Shareware | 2010-03-19 | 0 | 60db |
| Electric organ | Electric organ soundfont | Windows | Freeware | 2000-12-12 | 10 | 60db |
| Musica Theoria v2.0 | Jeff D's soundfont | Windows | Freeware | 2 | 60db | |
| SFPlayer v1.0 | Simple SoundFont 2 player. [VST] | Windows | Freeware | 2007-02-28 | 0 | 60db |
| Alchemy Soundfont | Atmospheric Pads | Windows | Freeware | 2002-05-01 | 2 | 55db |
| FluidSynth v1.1.6 | A real-time software synthesizer based on the SoundFont 2 specifications | Mac | Free | 2013-03-11 | 4 | 55db |
| Unison 1.00 | A GM/GS soundbank | Windows | Freeware | 9 | 55db | |
| Junebug's Soundfont Pack 01 | Lush pads, ambient sounds, and natural more realistic sounds in this soundfont pack. | Windows | Demo | 2003-06-01 | 2 | 55db |
| Karlinger v0.6 | Freeware 16 step multi panel soundfont sequencer. [VST] | Windows | Freeware | 2006-04-28 | 0 | 55db |
| Yamaha DX9 Synthesizer | This font contains 11 basic sounds from Yamaha DX9 synthesizer | Windows | Freeware | 14 | 55db | |
| Gothic Organ | Gothic organ soundfont | Windows | Freeware | 2000-08-01 | 0 | 55db |
| Distortion / Overdriven guitar | Distorted overdriven guitar soundfont. | Windows | Freeware | 2001-08-01 | 4 | 55db |
| bs-16 v4.0.4 | 16 multitimbral, Soundfont 2 compatible software playback sampler. [VST/AU] | Mac | Shareware | 2010-03-19 | 0 | 55db |
| PersonalCopy v5r2 | A personal soundfont collection | Windows | Freeware | 2002-06-17 | 22 | 55db |
| M1 Drums.sf2 | A drum set from the M1 drum machine | Windows | Freeware | 2001-07-01 | 5 | 55db |
| Saxophones SoundFonts | Saxophone SoundFonts | Windows | Freeware | 2000-11-01 | 0 | 55db |
| AcustiX Steinway Piano III | Steinway Grand Piano for Halion. [VST] | Windows | Demo | 2004-11-28 | 1 | 55db |
| Casio VZ-1 Bronto Bass SoundSet | Phat Casio VZ-1 synth-bass sound set | Windows | Freeware | 2001-04-01 | 2 | 55db |
| AcustiX Bosendorfer Piano | Bosendorfer Piano for Halion. | Windows | Demo | 2004-01-20 | 2 | 55db |
The best SoundFont VST/AU plugin for Windows and Mac that I tested is bismark bs-16 (or the single-channel version: bs-1). It doesn’t support modulators, and the filter implementation is not perfect, but instruments generally sound as they should. A Mac MIDI audio and music player with custom SoundFont (SF2) import capabilities and per song bank switching. Bit-perfect audio playback, accurate stereo-balance. You can assign different SoundFonts to different songs in the playlist, so it doubles as a SoundFont Player for Mac as well. Visit the Gallery to see Colibri in action!
SoundFonts can be played on just about any device but you do need a program that supports SoundFont sf2 files.
For iPhone/iPad
With the greater availability of tablets and smart phones, the setup for playing them has now become a whole lot easier and a lot more portable.
One app I can recommend for playing these SoundFonts on smartphones or tablets is bs-16i from Bismark. Large SoundFount files like the Essential Keys* listed near the top of the home page have been tested and run perfectly on newer iPads with 3gb of Ram or more. For iPads with 2gb (Air2) it is best to limit the SoundFont size to around 700mb. If your device struggles for Ram then try loading the default soundfont before loading one of the larger ones. This tends to clear your Ram. For early model devices try SoundFonts around 300mb.
Another app that reportedly loads SoundFonts very well is Auria Pro with the Lyra plug in.
For PC and Mac
There are available DAWs (like Cubase) or some free programs that support sf2 like LMMS or Cantibile with an sf2 player plugin installed, but probably the best no-fuss option is the free standalone player from Plogue called sforzando (which will convert sf2 to sfz). Plogue sforzando may not work correctly with all SoundFonts but the ones recommended for sforzando above have been tested and work very well.
Plogue Sforzando for PC or Mac can be downloaded for free from https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando/
Tips for sforzando users - don't forget to check your Reverb Send (CC91) level (suggest 14%) and to choose a Reverb preset that you like for the best sound. Set volume CC7 at around -6db, change Polyphony to 128 and for PC install the free ASIO4ALL driver to greatly improve audio response and select it in Tools, Preferences. (ASIO4ALL is downloadable for free) http://www.asio4all.org/
There is an audio recorder built into sforzando. Click the bottom right box to create a folder to record your wav file to then click the red record button. When finished click the stop button next to record. You should close sforzando before attempting to listen to your recording with say Windows Media Player (ASIO4ALL needs to unload to allow handing over audio control back to windows). In addition on the bottom left there is a basic midi file player but it is limited to single instruments at a time like piano so don't expect to use sforzando as a backing band.
If you are wanting your Windows PC to be able to use a GM sountfont with say Windows Media Player you can install the free software by Coolsoft called VirtualMidiSynth (https://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth) and you can choose a new default GM soundfont. I suggest keeping your soundfonts for VirtualMidiSynth in a new folder in say Documents.
Windows Soundfont Player Online
How to Load a New SoundFont
Online Soundfont Player
For the soundfont player bs-16i (for iOS) load new wavetables/soundfonts via iCloud. You can also import them from other places on your device (Wavetables, scroll to bottom and locate Import Wavetable, Browse).
A great app for playing and basic editing of general midi files is Sweet Midi Player which includes a lyric viewer for midis with lyrics/chords. You can load one of the General Midi SoundFonts (see main page) to greatly improve the sound quality. With this setup you can have a full band backing your performance. The easiest way to import a soundfont/wavetable for Sweet Midi Player is via iTunes, File Sharing.
Soundfont Player For Mac Catalina
To load a SoundFont in sforzando (Windows/Mac) you can just drag and drop to the desktop or click Instrument, Import and navigate to your SoundFont. If you want to edit or record your playing on PC then consider Musescore. Loading a new SoundFont is done by putting the file in the default Musescore SoundFont folder then selecting View, Sythesizer, Add and Set as Default. Musescore has basic editing capabilities as well as an excellent sheet music/score viewer and editor.
Soundfont Player For Mac Download